Grrl Power #630 – Roll for perception

Technically, lightning does make Maxima weak, in that she has to divert some of her power pool from strength to armor. It worked out for Vehemence because he was strong enough to overpower her while she diverted her strength to armor. Of course the team delights in propagating the rumor that Maxima is weak to lightning itself.

Sydney is almost as untouchable as Achilles when her bubble is up, which is nice, because she’s very squishy otherwise, and it also lets her stand back and take a calm overview of the battlefield. If it seems that she keeps coming up with day saving plans, this has a lot to do with it.

The next supervillain hideout I make is not going to be cement. It’s really boring to color and look at.

It was just a typo. I imagine Dave originally typed (or considered typing) “propagating the rumor that lightning does make Maxima weak”, but realised that duplicated the opening line. As repetition is to be avoided he would have rephrased it the other way, but just missed the “to”. No biggie.

Well she does have her pillow (Eddie?), but he is a bit big to fit in one of the pouches. And is most definitely not ‘Batman approved’!

Although she could make up a mini one, sized for her arts and crafts pouch.

Although I do wonder what prompted the initial statement? Oh, maybe to do with lair furniture? I think Sciona is more into torture chamber decor. Just follow the blood pipe, from the top of the tank depicted, up, to the chamber above. I think you will find the furniture with restraint devices, needles and tubing.

Heh. I guess maybe. Sensible of Halo though. She knows that she is not fully trained and has been warned, explicitly, about how much harm she can do through acting ill-advisedly. Sydney needs to take advantage of the opportunity to think through her options, and make sure that she avoids causing a catastrophe.

Of course she is not aware that they are up against a serious time limit. But gaining extra intelligence may help the situation, even then.

Could we have a bit of expo where Maxima figures out that she can determine where her abilities focus at the moment?
Like one second she’s running super fast and next, she trips and tenses up because it’ll hurt.
But she’s fine. She thinks that she’s invincible now, only run at full speed into a wall and break her nose or something.

I kinda want a whole “new powers” arc for the crew, like Maxima learning how to control her powers, or how Harem learned that she could teleport and leave herself behind at the same time. thats a thing i feel like a lot of super hero things miss out on, people seem to just instantly know how their powers work

Just so. We have had a few one-panel flashbacks to Maxima’s youth though. So such a scene could be depicted, at a more reflective moment than the current action.

Although there is a way it could be incorporated in this scene, if a writer was of a mind. Sciona is known to use devices which have a mental attack (of unknown type, as it was damaged and Maxima resisted its effects). So it could be an amnesia ray! In which case Maxima would revert to either a younger version of herself, without all her years of combat experience or it may be even stronger and wipe so much that she does not even remember her name.

Not a nice experience. I have been there twice. But you do still retain a bunch of knowledge. I recall being able to identify that I was in a hospital, so was able to deduce that I must have some medical problem. I could not identify the people gathered around the bed I was in though (my doctor and my parents).

Importantly you would still retain muscle memory though, for well practised tasks. So even then Maxima would be able to function well. Total Recall (original flava) showed this well, when Arnie wiped out a combat team instinctively. This was realistic, as he had been highly trained to act without hesitation, so no conscious decisions had to be made.

However the comical effect would still be likely, for an amnesiac Maxima, the moment that she focuses on ‘how the heck did I do that?’ or otherwise tries to replicate such movement through active control. Because she has no memory of her experiences, nor the tripfalls (boom boom) of doing so.

It was explained in-comic a while back, including a graphic dial (visually, for us, of the abstracted controls Max can access). It lets her assign & distribute all available power to her into various categories (5? IIRC). Sorry, too lazy to archive dive for it at the moment because I forget the context, so I can’t recall which story arc to look for & read, and I’m not reading everything right now.

Anyway, she can divert all power equally between all abilities, for example. But she can also near-instantly sacrifice power from any/all other categories to dump it into one or two needed at the moment. So, in the last pages she put a huge amount into Motherfucking PUNCH! for the duration required to deliver said punch, while reserving what was required for shielding and sacrificing all for speed & weaponized ability. Then, she can instantly shift near everything into speed, make her move, then re-allocate everything out of speed once she arrives at-location to whatever she thinks she needs.

No no, I meant as a flashback about her youth when she figures out she CAN focus her powers.
Not in the current storyline mind.
Because Maxima is different from other Metahumans.
I don’t know any supes at top of my head that can divert their abilities like Maxima does.
Like we KNOW she CAN do it. And there WAS a flashback to the moment she figured out she can shoot beams. So I thought it would make sense to have a flashback to the moment she discovers that she can freely control her power stats wheel.

You know if there will be Power swap episode, Maxima could explain say Halo how she figured out her control before Haloxima will obliterate everything in sight.

It is the dream tool for any command and control tool. In order to replicate its effect you would need to have a commander in a bunker, hooked up to a perfect telepresence device and infallible communications. As we do not have that though, field commanders have to risk their neck.

In larger units they can be situated in a nice central safer spot, shielded from close up attack by surrounding troops, and chosen for cover from long range attacks. But the less you are visible from a distance the less you are able to see of the battlefield and the weaker your knowledge of the situation is. Thereby reducing your ability to command the unit.

But stick your head out too far, and it could be shot off. Compromising the command of the unit even more.

So then things like mirrors and periscopes can be considered. But, again, that is limiting the field of view.

Whilst in smaller units, or when in situations where you have to remain on the move, the commander is much more exposed.

But, with a near-invulnerable force-field, the situation changes dramatically. You can get as close to the action as you want. Study the tactics, check around for flanking units, ambushes or signs of mines or other traps. And have the luxury of contemplating the best actions to take, as we see above.

I am sure there would be many a real world commander who would quite literally kill to gain such a capability.

Of course there are great things to be said for commanders who ‘lead from the front’ and share the same risks that every one of their troops take. But loose your leader, at an inopportune moment (anytime you are under fire would count), and that endangers the whole unit. Obviously you would hope that the second in command, or whoever is most senior in the immediate area, would smoothly take control.

Although I am a civilian, I am eligible for national service, in two different countries, should such be required, in a time of war. And long ago determined that I would not shirk such a responsibility. Barring for an illegal war of aggression, of course.

If I were in a unit I would prefer a commander who ensured that they had a safe vantage point to oversee the battle. Them getting their heads shot off, for nothing more than bravado, would just endanger my life.

Now if they were tucked away in some secure spot and had no effective control over the situation, due to lack of situational awareness, then that is a different matter.

Then they would lack awareness that I was subverting control of the unit and positioning myself to take their job!

The issues of lead from the front vs stepping back and being detached are huge. Not just for morale and communication, but knowing how to use your people and prioritize. And this applies to technical rates too, not just frontline fighters. If your officer doesn’t know, he could end up prioritizing a chloride issue over dropped rod or low steam generator level on a reactor.
The enlisted then have to figure put what he’s thinking, and try to phrase problems in such a way he understands what’s huge. That’s absurd though, he should just let them get on with emergency actions as trained, not waste time explaining them. (Very abbreviated version of issues)

one of the better explanations of the Command & Control problem I’ve ever heard. By chance were you ever in the Armed forces? I wasn’t, but I’m a bit of a freak when it comes to all things combat related.

Heh, strictly an armchair warrior. Although I must admit that I have come up with a couple of engineering innovations which could change the battlefield. One of which is a logical ‘next step’ and will be developed independently in due course anyhow.

Albeit that is likely to happen in small stages. Wheres I worked out a complete package of synergistic developments aimed towards one end. Each just being efficient refinement of existing technology and principles.

The other though is simply something which has been overlooked. A basic principle that could revolutionise mobile warfare. And I have run it by former special services and regular army officers. Who confirmed they considered both concepts & applications to be viable and desirable.*

Try to get it heard, by the powers that be though? Not a bite. Even with their sponsorship. I am not a very good salesman. :-D

Not that I tried particularly hard or long mind. Improving our armed forces, in troubling times, is worthy. But I am focusing on reducing the troubled times instead. Getting rid of the need to fight is far more worthy.

* Particularly important to me, given that I would otherwise be concerned that I was a Walter Mitty type character. :-D Rather I am someone who has good (if simple**) ideas. Just being really really bad at getting anything done with them. :-(

** I do not have the education or the temperament to do really advanced or complex stuff. Plus my various ideas would have to be passed over to people with the training and experience to put them into practice. As such I would not claim to be an inventor. Just a thinker of interesting ideas.

I hear you. what you are up against is a combination of the Ivory Tower problem, the Saturation problem and perhaps a bit of you not being a good salesman. You are in a good place to get your Ideas heard now though, the current administration is very keen on the military.

America. Well my main interest was in strengthening NATO, and at the time the POTUS was running down the usefulness of the organisation, and making noises about withdrawing support. So I would prefer that such advantages went to more reliable partners. No point giving a seed change capability to an ally who chooses not to turn up.

Mind you, between none of them having such capabilities, or it going to one who blows hot and cold, I guess it is the lesser of the two evils.

Deus isn’t here, but Maxima could probably bring him here in just a few seconds. Especially if Sydney tagged along to provide her forcefield, which blocks all the side effects of going really fast. Not that Maxima would agree to be Deus’ air taxi given her attitude towards him.

OMG the pun! “Deus’ ex, Maxima.” Whether they were ever actually dating is left ambiguous, but I’d almost want it to be canon just for that pun.

You may be on to something. Deus did proclaim an interest in what Sciona was going to do with her artefact.

Perhaps Deus got splattered with blood, as Sciona hit the tank of blood? And he is now standing right next to Sydney! Needless to say he must me hiding, using the Machina Industries Cloaking Device MK1.

Thus accounting for why the blood he is in contact with is also invisible, but not the stuff dripping down the wall behind him nor the pool that is extending beyond the area of the cloaking effect.

The background… Really? Boring? I mean, it might not be the most bright and pretty thing, but the ‘underground base’ ambiance is kind of nice in its own way. I don’t know, I haven’t really seen the issue with it.

Um, yeah… it’s called HER BODY… i’m an electrician so i know that pretty much ANYTHING WILL conduct electricity when it’s hit with enough voltage in the right circumstances… and the human body is filled with things like water and salts and iron, etc.that make electricity want to go THRU us rather than AROUND us… but with the amount of voltage that is needed to arc across open air like is shown, the insulation resistance of her clothing is such a small value as to be almost non-existent for protective purposes… a grounding rod, or such device would melt under the amount of current those arcs are producing for the amount of time we estimate that she’s being hit with them. yes, a lightning rod attached to a barn or some other structure can take a lightning strike… but… they would vaporize if that amount of power was held for longer than the micro seconds it does with a normal strike.

Either below her toes or above her head. Here we see the shield being lowered (upwards) one row of panels at a time. Because it is not time critical it could do that at a leisurely pace (responding to Halo’s mental desires). So was the only time we have seen it in progress.

However we can see that Sydney must be able to form the shield underneath her feet (and others, when they are passengers) from this scene. Where Harem has been scooped up, but with no sign of gravel, slivers of the soles of Harem’s shoes, or any other debris in the bottom of the bubble.

Either that or it is formed at the top, and extends downwards, curving around until it goes underneath their feet (pushing them upwards to squeeze between the soles of their feet and the ground).

“… if its so air tight shouldn’t she move the dirt on the outside of her shield when she moves, how does the shield form?”

So, as per the previous part of the answer, we can tell that the shield probably forms a hemispherical dome, when Sydney is on the ground (or a perfect sphere when flying). I say probably because it has been the subject of debate, in the past. However every instance we have seen remains consistent with the way I am describing it, so I am fairly confident on the matter.

Assuming I am right what we see above is Sydney standing on the floor of her force field (the wall is shiny but the floor is not, because the former is refracting light, whereas the floor only has concrete below it). Any dust or bits of gravel are underneath the force field. So when she walks, she is treading on a flat part of the shield.

Essentially, in those circumstances, it is behaving like a hamster ball. Except that it flattens to conform to the ground, rather than remaining a sphere.

Then when Halo flies up the flat bottom reshapes to the sphere shape. We know the force field can change its shape radically, as ,whenever Sydney is flying at high speed, it assumes a torpedo shape.

Actually, I must correct myself. It is possible that rather than being a closed hemisphere, this may just be a hemisphere. I.e. with nothing protecting Sydney from anything in the ground. Because we have seen Shadow Boxer rising out of the ground, when Sydney had the shield up.

Plus the art here would imply (barring the interpretation I made above), that the ground does not have a force field protecting it. No reason why Sydney cannot do both varieties mind. In fact she has to be able to close the force field, in order to pick people up, as outlined above. So I think it likely that she can do either version. Meaning that Dave could pick whichever suited his whim, for any given scene.

I should also point out the other leading theory, which is that the shield is phasing through the ground, to form a perfect hemisphere. However folks have yet to convince me on that one, as there is nothing to support such.

However the Shadow Boxer scene would not disprove it, as he could have been within the sphere, when it was formed.

Plus, of course, there is always the possibility that (unlike Harem’s teleportation), he can phase through the force field as easily as through the ground. Meaning we could not exclude the closed hemisphere either. Dave’s comment about Halo’s force field being almost as tough as Achilles though would make me less likely to consider that option.

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